UCLA Anderson vs. reapplying

No money. I have 5 years experience as a strategy consultant for nonprofits. I'd like to move into the social entrepreneurship space long-term, impact investing short-term. I'd really like to attend an MBA program in California, so it's unfortunately that Stanford and Berkeley have such low acceptance rates. I'm not certain why I didn't get into Berkeley this year. I had limited post-college volunteer experience, and the breadth of my job isn't always something people understand. That could be it.

I was in a similar predicament last year, and decided to reapply and give the b-school process another go. I think there'd be a few questions you need to ask yourself before making a decision:

-What are you going to realistically do to boost your profile to have a better chance at GSB/Haas? Do you think it will make a difference?
-Would you be happy with attending UCLA and not taking another shot at GSB/Haas?
-Will Haas/GSB make a huge difference in helping you achieve your career goals?
-Are you okay with working in your same job/role for another year, and will the "timing" be right if you applied again next year?

I believe HAAS provides feedback..or I saw somewhere they did. It might be worth taking them up on that option to inform a reapplication process not tinted by rose colored glasses. I think Engineering conveyed my thoughts better.

Thanks.

Sadly, they no longer offer feedback. Too competitive now.

Did your decision pay off?

-I would likely search for a new job that is a more traditional feeder for business schools, OR stay with my current job and look for more leadership opportunities outside of work (perhaps joining a non-profit, etc.). I really don't know whether it would make a big difference, as the admissions process is opaque.

-I'm not sure. I really had my heart set on a top 10 school because of the unique connections it would afford me entering the entrepreneurial world.

It remains to be seen, as I'm going to hear from schools in the next few weeks haha. However, I can say for sure that at the schools I reapplied to, I have been more successful. Just doing the apps a second time helps a lot.

I'm in a similar position with you (GMAT 770 GPA 3.73 from a top 25 school). I wanted to be in Cali and applied to Haas, GSB and Anderson. Got into Anderson with 80k.

For a while I was considering to reapply, but decided that it is not worth the extra year of wait since I would not be able to substantially improve my profile. But of course, I got $$$ from Anderson which made it easier for me to decide.

Echoing the others, it really goes down to:
1. Will you be happy at Anderson? Register for A-days and chat with the current students/incoming students/faculty to see if you would like to be at Anderson for 2 years.
2. How close were you? Did you get any interviews? If you did, do you think you can improve your profile in 6-9 months time. If you didn't maybe you should consider why you absolutely need to go to Haas/GSB vs Anderson or maybe use a different approach to your reapplication (if you think that you absolutely need to reapply).

I'm sure you're well qualified for both GSB and Haas, but High GMAT/High GPA people get dinged all the time from top schools. There are so many people who wants to be in Cali which makes it even harder to get in to a top B-school there. Anderson has a lower acceptance rate than Duke/Ross/Darden (peer group) and closer to that of Booth/Kellogg. Haas is even more selective than Wharton, and I don't even need to comment on GSB.

Good luck on deciding!

I applied to Harvard, Stanford, Booth, Haas my first year. No acceptances. 760, 3.92 GPA. Reapplied to a wider less, selective group of schools and still no go. The ding from waiting a year hurts pretty bad. In addition, business school is what you make it and who you connect with during - anyone who says otherwise is oblivious. A harvard or top 7 program name helps, but only to an extent. If you work your ass off, you can get anywhere you want no matter what name is behind you.

Serious question that no one has asked.....are you a white, male? If so, your road to a top 7-8 program will be just as hard as mine. Do NOT underestimate how much those 2 items hurt you. I have had my application reviewed by several current students, graduates, etc and all say that my profile is fine but that I am hurt by my race/gender combination. If you are Indian/Male, it will hurt you even more when reapplying.

If you got 80k from Anderson and you want to work entrepreneurism/innovation/tech, take the money and work hard. You'll get where you want to be, I have no doubt. I'm telling you this even though you are a competitor to me. I am waiting for a spot with Anderson tomorrow. However, I have a full tuition remission from USC waiting for me. Yes, my numbers say I should be at a top 5, but smart people like you or I will get where we want to be no matter where we go.

Cosigned by another white male waiting on Anderson. Although I think the OP didn't receive any money... in that case, it really depends on what you think you can do in the next few months to boost your profile. Can you get a promotion, add volunteer exp, do anything notable in the next 6 months? Could you get more apps in R1 this fall to help your chances a bit? Can you work on your story to make it more credible? Going into "investing" straight out of MBA isn't very easy...

I'm the OP. I recently discovered that I did in fact get money. $60k. That changes things a bit.

My concerns are still how much weight the Anderson name has in the Bay Area, or even nationally.

Also, how do students' academic rigor, curiosity, work ethic compare with that of the more elite programs? Is Anderson considered a "party school"? What's the social scene like?

I think Anderson carries a huge name. Especially in California. Just think about the fact that Anderson is the most prestigious school in the 2nd largest US city !
I managed to visit Anderson and attend an open day event in early March when I was on vacation in LA. I was really impressed by the school. The campus was very beautiful and the students were very friendly. I talked with some students about placement and they said that last year close to 100% of all students got summer internships and job offers. The reason for this is that all the major world businesses / banks have operations in LA and they recruit from the top school in the city.
The school`s campus is situated in one of the city`s most prestigious areas - Westwood, just within a 30 minute walk from Beverly Hills. I really enjoyed my time there and will definitely apply. I think, to me, UCLA is on par with Columbia, and when deciding in which one to go, you simply need to figure out whether you want to live and work in NYC or in LA. To me, the answer is LA
As for SGSB and Berkeley vs UCLA, well, the former two might be higher ranked but, I guess, the difference lies in the reputation of the three school outside of Cali and perhaps even more outside of the US. If your ultimate goal is to live and work in LA, the difference, again, in my opinion, is not that noticable. Your job opportunities and acces to recruitment events are not at all that diffrent. And the fact that you got 60k, makes your decision even easier
Good luck and let us know what you have decided .

I am literally tired of hearing dinged applicants use there race and gender as a reason behind their rejection. I'm an indian/male or a white/male...blah, blah, blah...You probably got rejected because you were unable to answer the why do I want to attend an mba program?? Who cares that you spent 400 hrs studying for a test, that is useless to your career trajectory. Just based on the reasoning of some on this board, it seems as though the adcom's made the proper decision in rejecting your apps.

Excellent reply man. I just wanted to share someething that is unrelated to the topic but nevertheless quite interesting.
https://time.com/85933/why-ill-never-apo ... privilege/

I just decided on UCLA over Wharton, Kellogg and Columbia and spent a LOT of time talking to students, visiting schools, researching the programs, etc. I wanted to stay in LA and it was clear UCLA offered the best opportunities for me given my interests (media, entertainment, entrepreneurship) and the fact that I got significant money from them. I also considered reapplying to HBS and GSB, but if you speak to grads even from those top schools, they will echo what others have said here: that it's about what you make of the experience, not the ranking (within the top schools at least, which obviously includes Anderson). UCLA has an incredible network in LA and the west coast and the money matters long-term...You may inadvertently close doors on opportunities by prolonging the application process, waiting another year to go back to school, and giving up your fellowship opportunity and accruing additional debt when it's uncertain that you can get into your top choice school or if it could offer you something Anderson could not. Feel free to reach out directly if you're interested in some more specifics of how I made my decision. Happy to chat!

I read about the fallout from the above article last week.

I have to admit as a new poster, I am utterly surprised by some of the racial/gender comments here and on other MBA boards. I am also surprised that these Admissions Consultants are actually helping to spew these admissions stereotypes. Adcoms look at all factors...period!...If we looked at a distribution of accepted candidates, I bet this race/gender only plays about a .00001% role in acceptance. All the women and minorities that I have encountered who are going to top 20 schools, are stellar candidates that can compete with anyone. So I think as intelligent individuals (and future business leaders) we shouldn't digress to making race/gender excuses in relation to getting an application ding. I seriously hope these folks aren't in my cohort.

Good post! Based on discussions with alumnis and mentors I really think you hit it spot on.

I think 1st and foremost, One must think about where they plan to reside after obtaining the degree. Now admittedly Harvard trumps all schools and will open up any door!

But depending on your career objective, a regional school will carry more weight and connections. Last time I checked Harvard alums don't run the LA business scene. A UCLA mba will do just fine. Now if I was in NY or down south I would think differently.

I had a mentor that went to a top law school. However, she came back to LA to practice. Her school affiliated networking base here is fairly non-existent. So guess who she is developing networks with...USC and UCLA...